A Spiritual Oasis for Young Mothers in a Hectic World

The Ultimate Mission: One Needful Thing

Four years ago ~ after I was married ~ I was introduced to a website called, “Women at Home University”. It was developed to encourage wives and mothers. I thoroughly enjoyed the website and was saddened when it was shut down. The couple who ran the website were committed to serving the Lord. They lived by a high standard ~ a standard that challenged me daily. Since that time the family has chosen to take a different direction in life. Though saved, they do not have such high standards for their family anymore. This article and any others I post by this author in the future were written before the family left the conservative movement.

In this article it is stated that Charles H. Spurgeon had four sons. Upon research he actually only had two sons – Thomas and Charles.

As already mentioned on this website, I am a mother of six young children. As most of you can imagine, my life is very busy from day to day meeting the needs of each of my special gifts from God. As I sat today reading a wonderful article on mothering in one of my magazines, I was thoroughly impressed with one thought which inspired the title I chose for this section article: “One Needful Thing.”

Luke 10:41-42 refers to two ladies. One lady’s name was Martha. She was cumbered about with much serving, doing something that was very good as she prepared a meal for Jesus and His disciples. The other lady mentioned is Mary. She was told by Christ that she had chosen the “good part” which was “sitting at Jesus’ feet” and “hearing His Word.” Most of us can relate to Martha in our daily lives much more easily than we can to Mary. We are often so busy serving by educating and ministering to the children, washing the clothes, cleaning the house, etc. Those things are good, but they often cause us to neglect the “one needful thing” of spending time in fellowship with Christ.

This story illustrates the difference between choosing the good, the better, and the very best. There is no better way to serve your husband or your children than to spend time in prayer for them. I have been greatly influenced in my own life by many Godly Christians of the past and several of them were great examples of faithfulness in the “one needful thing.” One was Susannah Wesley (mother of 19 children, 9 of whom lived to maturity). It is said of Susannah that she arose every day 2 hours before the rest of the house to pray for the needs of every one in her family.

Another story tells of the wife of probably the greatest preacher of the nineteenth century, Charles Haddon Spurgeon. At one time during a great revival at which he spoke, he became convicted of not spending enough time with his family, so he decided to return home early. When he arrived at home that evening, he heard a voice coming from the bedroom upstairs. He ascended the stairs and walked to the room of his four sons where he found his dear wife on her knees with the boys all around her. She was praying for each one of them by name and casting them at the Lord’s feet. Charles quietly left the room and said in his heart, “Thank you Lord for such a dear wife. Now I know that I can go on with my ministry, for my home is being carefully tended to.” Charles’s four boys all later became godly preachers. It was not their mother’s clean house, gardening, cooking, or tender nursing that made the difference. It was that she dedicated herself to that which Jesus said was the “good part,” that which would never be taken from her. The most amazing thing about Susannah Spurgeon’s testimony was that she was an invalid for most of her life. God made up the difference for her in spite of her limitations; He can do the same for you and me as well.

Maybe you are like me and you struggle with the “Martha mentality.” You might ask, “How can I possibly be like Mary when I have so much to do?” Follow these practical suggestions:

(1) Set a schedule and stick to it. The old saying is true that “if you aim at nothing you’ll hit it every time.” Setting a schedule helps you keep yourself accountable to “redeem,” or “make the best use of your time.” I often wonder how any mother could even function from day to day by doing whatever, whenever. Chances are that if you have that “whatever, whenever mind-set” about prayer you will never really get around to it. James 5:16 says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much,” and the devil is very aware that prayer can completely revolutionize our homes. You must make it a point to schedule prayer in no matter how many items you have on your to-do list.

(2) Set a higher goal for yourself than you have ever thought possible. Maybe you will want to do as one friend of mine does- tithe your time to God by giving Him the first fruits of your day. Ten percent of your time in a 24-hour period is 2 hours and 23 minutes. You could evaluate your day by asking the question, “What good thing can I skip today to spend more time in doing that which would be best?” Ask God how much time He wants you to spend with Him each day and obey the prompting of His Spirit. Let me remind you again that this decision is a choice between good, better, and best for you.

(3) Make a prayer journal and write out every single thing you desire for each one of your family members. Pray through those lists several times each day. Make your journal very special by adding pictures and cards and quotes. This format makes the time go by so quickly that you will often not even realize you have been on your knees for so long.

12. Praise – End your time with praise for your fellowship during your “holy hour of prayer.”

Are you ever tempted to complete your service to your family with the secret hope of being seen and appreciated by others? The wonderful thing about being a “hidden woman” of prayer is the joy of knowing that you are doing this “secret” task for one reason alone–the glory of God. This is the one thing you can do as a mother that is completely in secret, something only the Lord will see. Remember that “the greatest mothers in the world today are the mothers who pray.” So go buy a notebook, get creative and get busy. I know I have to remind myself on a regular basis to get back to the “one needful thing.” Let’s work together as mothers and turn the next generation “upside-down” for Christ through the ministry of prayer.